If You Wear Bike Shorts Like, All The Time, You Need This Pair

As the mom of a toddler, you’ll pretty much always see me wearing leggings and a big T-shirt. It’s a lot easier to get up and down off the floor to play monster trucks in something made of spandex, and no sweat if he flings some yogurt my way at breakfast. So, when one of my favorite beauty influencers (shoutout to @taylorwynn) recommended the TomTiger Yoga Shorts on Amazon, I added them to my cart immediately.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still skeptical. Honestly, I have pretty high standards for leggings and bike shorts. They have to be buttery soft with smooth seams that don’t irritate my skin. They need to be high waisted and hold everything in, but not feel suffocating. Ideally they’d make my butt look good, though I assumed the model wearing the shorts had some help from Photoshop in the tush department. And for the love of God, they cannot have the cursed crotch seam that would give a Barbie doll camel toe.

For the price, I was willing to try them, hopeful they’d be the perfect replacement for all the maternity bike shorts I was still hanging on to. Dear reader, I now own three pairs of the TomTiger women’s bike shorts, and I encourage you to bless yourself with them too.

Stats

• Price: $25.99, though they’re often marked down
• Sizes: XS through XL
• Styles: Laser and no laser (basically, do you want a little cutout design on your lower back or not)
• Colors: There are more than 20 to choose from. I love my pairs in Coffee and Mink, and Pepper Red is definitely on my wish list.
• Who it’s for: Anyone up to a size XL who likes athleisure, needs gym shorts, or has a butt they want to cover comfortably
• Fabric: 80％ nylon, 20％ spandex

First impressions

When the shorts arrived, my first thought was how accurately the real-life color matched the photos online. The color I chose, “Coffee,” is a muted burnt orange that would be flattering on so many skin tones. They also felt incredibly soft.

When I first put them on, I was shocked that my mom-butt looked... not unlike the model’s bum online. I don’t know what witchcraft they put in the ruched stitching on these, but it basically disappears when you’re wearing the shorts, and makes your rear look 10/10.

How they feel

Short answer: amazing. The fabric is extremely soft and smooth, and the seams don’t dig in throughout the day. They don’t squeeze my thighs and create the little sausage leg effect I’ve experienced with other bike shorts.

The most important thing to me is that these shorts are comfortable and easy to move in. They’re perfect to wear lounging around the house or playing with my kid, and when I wear them to the gym, I can move freely while working out.

How they look

They smooth everything out, lift everything up, and don’t become see-through when you bend over. And hey, no dreaded crotch seam. The shorts met all my criteria, but I knew they must look flattering when two different friends asked where they were from. Then, my husband went back in our Amazon history and ordered me another pair unprompted, so they’ve earned his stamp of approval too.

Pros & cons

Pros:

• They come in lots of on-trend colors.
• They’re squat-proof for the gym and you can’t see through them (even the color Mink).
• The ruching above the butt really does wonders for your bum.
• No crotch seam. Hallelujah.
• The high waist hits at the perfect place and is super flattering.
• They don’t give me a wedgie (front or back).

Cons

• They don’t have plus sizes.
• The length is perfect for me, but I’m 5’4”, so taller folks may find them a little short.
• Like all bike shorts, they do ride up my thighs if I’m walking a lot.

Final verdict

Living in a warm climate and chasing after my active little boy, bike shorts are a staple in my mom uniform for most of the year. I’ve tried a lot of pairs from Amazon, and these shorts are the best by far. Since my first pair in the color coffee, I’ve also purchased the black and mink shorts.

They’re comfortable, soft, and flattering. They look cute with an oversized band tee and Vans for running errands, and they hold up great lifting weights in the gym. They don’t stretch out throughout the day or get baggy in weird places like some other shorts I’ve tried. And they come in the best colors, with new ones being added frequently (eucalyptus green is next on my wishlist).

As long as these bike shorts are available, they’re the ones I’ll buy, no contest.

TL;DR

If TomTiger’s yoga shorts are ever discontinued, I’ll have to go on an Eat, Pray, Love-style journey to rediscover who I am without them.

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